Tuesday, August 5, 2008

My Servant Whom I love...

Isaiah 42:1-4:Here is my servant, whom I uphold,my chose one in whom I delight;I will put my spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.A bruised reed he will not break and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;he will not falter or be discouragedtill he establishes justice on earth.In his law the islands will put their hope.

***The note in my Bible says:There is a twofold account of the coming Servant:He is represented (1) as weak, despised, rejected, slain; and also (2) as a mighty conqueror, taking vengeance on the nations and restoring Israel. The former class of passages relate to the first advent and are fulfilled; the latter, to the second advent and are unfulfilled.

The chapter goes on with words similar to Isaiah 61: "to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness."

I'm not sure if I agree with the note in Bible, about the second description being unfulfilled. I think that the idea that the "Coming Kingdom" is outside of our hands allows a lot of laziness within Christians. While that interpretation is not wrong, and is certainly not unBiblical, it does miss something. As with anything, especially the Scripture, there are multiple levels to anything-- multiple interpretations-- all of which must be taken into account. I am a firm believer that the nature of God has not and will not change; So Our Lord must have been a conqueror from the start. We must, as his followers be diligent, and conquer. But not, as those loyal to earthly kings, in a physical way. The battles we fight are not for land or lives or power. Nor are they intellectual battles, whose purpose is to spread knowledge of truth. They are battles of the Spirit, whose purpose is to spread the experience of Love.

Perhaps the note is correct, and that those things are unffulfilled, but if that is the case, it is only because we, as His Kingdom, have not fulfilled the prophesy.